Stores have removed some tomatoes and products because of a warning issued by the FDA

YOUNGSTOWN — As the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the food industry try to pinpoint the cause and origin of contaminated tomatoes, the number of reported salmonella saintpaul cases has risen to 145 and spread to 16 states, according to CDC.

Although no cases of infection have been reported in Ohio, some grocery stores have complied with the FDAs advisory to remove certain varieties of tomatoes and products containing certain varieties of tomatoes from their stores’ shelves.

Michael Rulli, general manager of Rulli Brothers grocery stores in Austintown and Boardman, said the they are “very, very stringent on safety and tracking where products come from.”

He said when he found out about the salmonella outbreak, all of the tomatoes were removed from the store until more information was known.

For more information, see Tuesday’s Vindicator or www.vindy.com.